Parajd Salt Mine Flooding: report Cites Years of Neglect,Delayed Action
PARAJD,ROMANIA – A damning report reveals that teh Romanian state-owned company Salrom possessed the funds and possibility to prevent the devastating flooding of the Parajd salt mine,a popular tourist destination in Székelyföld,but repeatedly delayed crucial protective measures. The mine, flooded in May after water from the Korond stream breached its depths, has been completely submerged, threatening the livelihoods of miners, tourism operators, and hundreds of local businesses.
Inspectors found that despite a business plan outlining necessary insulation work to reduce water seepage – initially developed in 2006 and updated in 2014 – these repairs were never implemented. Furthermore, water works undertaken between 2012 and 2016 failed to meet legal requirements, lacking professional oversight from the Maros County Water Directorate.
The report details a pattern of inaction following water leaks in 2022. Recommendations from a technical expert opinion were ignored in 2023,and while deemed necessary in 2024,implementation was postponed until 2025. Following worsening leaks in February 2023 and April 2024, a required meeting of the inter-ministerial committee was never requested from Bucharest.
Critical contracts for solutions outlined in an expert opinion following the April 2024 leak weren’t signed until ten months after the report’s completion – just eight days before the Korond stream’s waters again inundated the mine on May 5, 2025, prompting a request for a state of emergency on May 7.
The report recommends the dismissal of Salrom’s management, holding responsible parties legally accountable, and revisions to mining operation legislation.the Parajd salt mine, previously attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, is a meaningful economic driver for the region.
